News Article

Battle of the Bands winner no decoy


4/3/2006 1:33:14 PM


The newly-formed Coy Decoy is turning heads in the music industry. They begin their provincial tour April 23. (photo courtesy of Owen Russell)

When Chris Clarke of Port aux Basques and Brandon Hopkins of Deer Lake enrolled in the Music Industry & Performance (MIP) program at College of the North Atlantic (CNA) in Bay St. George this past fall, they each planned an eventual career in the music industry. They had no idea they’d be turning heads in the province so soon.

When the two met second-year Recording Arts (RA) student Greg Jenniex, a native of Pasadena, through the two programs’ natural connection, they began performing together at college events. They soon realized they had something worth building on, and decided to form a band.

Coy Decoy’s first big gig was the regional Battle of the Bands competition, held at the Stephenville Arts & Culture Centre in January. Five talented groups from throughout the region competed, but it was Coy Decoy that came away with the $250 first prize. The group also qualified to compete in the March 11th provincial competition at The Gordon Pinsent Centre for the Arts in Grand Falls-Windsor – where, to their amazement, they again took first prize.

“I’d played a bit in Corner Brook before,” says Jenniex, lead guitar and vocals for the band, “but nothing like this. It was a wonderful opportunity for bands to take part in the battle – and there was a lot of talent.”

The three attribute their win to something in addition to talent and their original music. They say their college programs prepared them in ways they didn’t realize until they were smack in the middle of it.

“Our instructors have taught us that in addition to hard work and practice, professionalism is very important,” says Clarke, the band’s bass player and backup vocalist. “It could have been pretty intimidating being in the middle of all this, but we just tried to be as helpful and prepared as we could.”

And they learned from the experience, he says.

“We didn’t realize how much organization and communication it takes between bands and the venue to organize something like these competitions.”

They will take this knowledge on the road with them in April, as the prize for the provincial competition was $500 and a provincial Arts & Culture Centre tour scheduled for April 23 to May 1 – beginning just over a week after Jenniex graduates from CNA.

They are preparing more original material for the tour, in the midst of prepping for their year-end concert (Sonic Potuck 16, to be held at the college’s LA Bown in Stephenville on April 1) and their final exams.

They’ll have a week or so after exams to fine tune their sound. And what is their sound?

“We came up with our own category to describe our music,” laughs the band’s drummer Brandon Hopkins. “We call it Scropunko.”

He explains that the newly formed word describes the band’s unique sound.

“It’s kind of a combination of screamo, rock and punk.”

The band won’t be empty-handed on the road. They are recording a demo EP in Hopkin’s home studio.

MIP Coordinating instructor Wade Pinhorn says the guys are a great representation of what College of the North Atlantic has to offer the music industry.

"I am very pleased that the combination of the talent these three young men possess, and the training they are receiving with the MIP and RA programs is working well for them,” says Pinhorn.

“A win at this provincial event is not only a great boost for them and their fledgling careers, but also for the efforts we are making on the ground at CNA.”

Coy Decoy kicks off their provincial tour in St. John’s on April 23, visiting all the Arts & Centre locations, including Labrador, and wrapping it up in Stephenville May 1.

Stay tuned for more from this talented group. Coy Decoy is no decoy, but a whole lot of the real thing.

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For more information contact:

Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
709.643.7928